Marinette Middle School News

October 2017

Marinette Middle School News

October 2017

MESSAGE FROM MR. WHISLER

From the Principal’s Desk

Marinette Middle School: Anchored in the Journey of the Whole Student

It is that time of the year again. Beginning next week, Marinette Middle School students will participate in the annual Fall universal screener for both Reading and Mathematics. Most students will complete the STAR Universal Screener next Tuesday (October 10th) and Wednesday (October 11th). Students requiring additional support with test-taking will have the ability to work on this assessment as the supports and our testing window allow. All students will have completed the STAR assessment by Friday, October 13th.

Now with the facts having been laid out, it is important to understand that this time can be very stressful for our middle school students. It is unfortunate that we have entered a time in education when parties, often outside of the education realm, utilize various assessments to compare students, schools, and even districts against each other. This frame of mind is a very “fixed” way of utilizing academic assessment tools. Our emphasis at Marinette Middle School, and across the School District of Marinette, is that of a Growth Mindset.

With this Growth Mindset philosophy, we are looking to see how students are growing over the course of their time in school. Our intent is that students make adequate progress over the course of the year based on set criteria. We measure for growth between the Fall screener, Winter screener, and the Spring screener. If a student does not appear to be making adequate growth, a team of building-level educators gather and determine appropriate next steps to assist the student in making adequate progress throughout the remainder of the school year.

Adults, however, are not the only ones monitoring a student’s academic progress. Throughout the school year, I will meet with the students to review their academic growth. As a school, we have set a goal of ALL students will receive a Student Growth Percentile (SGP) of 60 by the end of the school year. Already the students and I have discussed what a SGP is, why it is an important measure of growth, and what they can do to work towards that goal. In the coming week, take some time to talk to your student about the school-wide academic goal and the letter that they wrote to their Trusted Adult - hopefully, a few of you received that Trusted Adult letter.

After each of the academic screener periods, students’ households will receive a printout of the academic screener results and an accompanying explanation letter. If at any time you have any questions and/or concerns about our assessment measures (STAR or other), including how we use the data, please feel free contact me at (715)735-1500 or mwhisler@marinette.k12.wi.us.

MESSAGE FROM MR. HANSON

Your children can suffer academically if they miss 10 percent of the school year or about 18 days. That can be just one day every two weeks, and that can happen before you know it.

Some absences are unavoidable. We understand that children will get sick and need to stay home occasionally. The important thing is to get your children to school as often as possible.

Sporadic absences, not just those on consecutive days of school, matter. Before you know it – just one or two days a month can add up to nearly 10 percent of the school year.

If too many absences occur, it is still a problem whether they are excused or unexcused because they represent too much lost learning time in the classroom.

By middle and high school, chronic absence is a leading warning sign that a student will drop out.

Families should avoid extended vacations that require your children to miss school. Try to line up vacations with the school’s schedule. The same goes for doctor’s appointments

For older children, you can help them develop homework and bedtime routines that allow for 8 ½ to 9 ½ hours of sleep. Make sure that when the lights go out, so do the cell phones, video games and computers.

Above all, set an example for your child. Show him or her that attendance matters to you and that you won’t allow an absence unless someone is truly sick.

You can turn to the school for help. Many schools offer services for the whole family.

Seek help from the school or community if you are facing tough challenges related to access to health care, unstable housing, poor transportation or lack of food. More schools and community agencies are working together to offer help for the whole family.

If you are having difficulty getting your child to attend regularly please contact the MMS office at 715 735-1500 and ask for supports. Your child’s attendance matters to us!

Picture Retake Day

Due to a conflict with our 8th graders going to Camp Bird on Friday, October 13. Picture retakes are RESCHEDULED for Thursday, October, 12.

Greg Muller

Shannon Sexton

Charlie Siem

Colin Walker

Shannon Sexton

Charlie Siem

7th Grade Special Education Teacher

Colin Walker

5th Grade Social Studies Teacher

Darcy Wuhrman

Educational Aide

Darcy Wuhrman

Educational Aide

Margaret Peterson Haddix Author Visit October 17

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.

She has since written more than 40 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Double Identity; Uprising; The Always War; the Shadow Children series; the Missing series; the Children of Exile series; the Under TheirSkin duology; and The Palace Chronicles. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and numerous state reader’s choice awards. They have also been translated into more than twenty different languages.

Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio. They are the parents of two grown kids.

Author Book Order Form

Book Order

If you or your student would like to order any books by our guest author, Margaret Peterson Haddix, the attached form should be returned prior to the end of the school day on Monday, October 9, 2017.

Flu Shot Information

Flu Vaccination Clinic

Marinette Middle School will be hosting a Free Flu Vaccination clinic for students on Friday, October 20th. The Flu Vaccine is FREE to all students age 3 years and older. All students are eligible, no insurance information is needed. If you would like your student to receive a free flu vaccination, please fill out the Flu Vaccine Consent Form and return it with your student by Friday, October 13th.

PTO and Booster Club

Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) and Booster Club

The MMS PTO and Booster Club had their first meeting Tuesday, October 3 at 6:30pm in the MMS LMC. We will be meeting again on Wednesday, November 15th at 6:30pm in the Marinette Middle School LMC. We are in the beginning stages of organization, as MMS has not had a formal PTO for a number of years. Therefore, if you would like to be part of positively effecting your middle school student’s educational experience and supporting the staff that regularly interact with your student, join us!

Halloween Costume Reminder

Halloween Costume Reminder

Just a quick reminder that students will be engaged in a “typical” school day on Tuesday, October 31st - Halloween. Students should dress appropriately for school. Students should wear clothing that meets the Marinette Middle School dress code including, but not limited to refraining from face makeup and other face coverings, hats, hoods, and masks. If a student questions whether or not an outfit is appropriate for school, please err on the side of caution and refrain from wearing the outfit.

MMS After School Clubs

MMS After School Clubs

In an effort to keep parents and guardians connected to all of the various opportunities that MMS students have available to them, various MMS Before School and After School offerings will be listed. Please look for information in the daily announcements as well as with your student as information about school clubs may be sent home.

Middle School Game Club

Games, games and more games! Join the middle school game club for only $10.00 and have tons of fun playing all sorts of games! We play card games like Magic the Gathering and Sushi Go! We also play many board games like Clue, Settlers of Catan or King of New York! Bring a friend along or make new friends. Be a part of the fun every Monday after school from 3:30pm - 5:30pm in the LMC. Pick up a form today in the office and we will see you on Monday.

MinecraftEdu STEAM Club 2017

Minecraft STEAM Club will begin Monday, October 9th at 3:05pm in Room L111. The group will meet on Mondays and Thursdays until November 30, 2017. For more information, please see the MinecraftEdu STEAM Club flyer.

Forensics

Do you like to laugh? Do you like to perform? Do you want to gain confidence in your public speaking skills? MMS will be offering a Forensics team this year for students in grades 5 - 8, but we need to know the number of students that are interested before we can set practice and meeting times. Students interested in joining the MMS Forensics team, please see Mr. Schwaba or inquire in the main office.

Facebook

Facebook

Marinette Middle School has rejoined the world of social media. Look for our school page on Facebook! As we gain confidence with this communication tool, you will find posted upcoming event information, all school reminders, pictures of MMS happenings, and much, much more.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences have been scheduled for Thursday, November 2nd and Wednesday, November 8th. Both sessions will be held from 3:30pm - 6:30pm.

Parents/guardians of students in 5th and 6th grade will be contacted about scheduling a formal conference with their student’s Homebase teachers. 7th and 8th grade teachers will contact parents/guardians of students who they feel would benefit from a formal conference. All other sessions will be drop-in. Parents/guardians of students at any grade level may contact their student’s Homebase teacher or other teacher at any time to schedule a formal meeting at any time. It is the hope that such conversations do not occur solely on Parent/Teacher Conference night, but rather throughout the school year as interested parties determine it is appropriate.

At this time, we do not intend to hold formal Parent/Teacher Conferences in the Spring. The intent is that after the November Parent/Teacher Conferences, if a meeting is needed to ensure that a student is making adequate progress, school staff are contacting parents/guardians to discuss the concerns or schedule a formal conversation. If at anytime, you would like to discuss any matters with your student’s teacher or other staff member, please feel free to contact that staff member via email or phone.

Inclement Weather Memo

With winter weather just around the corner, this letter is to request that you ensure your Skyward information is up to date.